Last year, seven police officers were fatally shot by April 1. This year, the number has more than doubled - The Washington Post

Last year, seven police officers were fatally shot by April 1. This year, the number has more than doubled - The Washington Post: On Thursday, Virginia State Police trooper Chad P. Dermyer was participating in a training exercise at a Richmond bus station when he approached a man just inside the facility’s front doors.

Dermyer, a 37-year-old from Michigan, had just begun speaking to him when the man pulled out a handgun and fired multiple rounds at the trooper, police officials said. Two other troopers returned fire and killed the gunman, according to the state police. Dermyer was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

His death contributes to a grim, growing toll: During the first three months of 2016, the number of police officers killed in shootings more than doubled from the same period last year.

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